A federal appeal court late on Sunday allowed a judge’s order to stand that directs US President Donald Trump’s administration to fully fund this month’s food aid benefits for 42 million low-income Americans during the ongoing US government shutdown.

The Boston-based 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals declined to halt Thursday’s decision by a Rhode Island judge requiring the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to spend US$4 billion set aside for other purposes to ensure Americans receive full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP benefits.

The ruling by the 1st Circuit will have no immediate impact because on Friday, US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson put a temporary hold on the lower court order by US District Judge John McConnell.

Her temporary hold remains in place for 48 hours after the 1st Circuit decision. Jackson’s order, along with earlier court rulings and announcements by the administration and various states at the centre of the litigation, has left the status of the country’s anti-hunger food aid programme uncertain during the shutdown.

On Saturday, USDA directed states to “undo” any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, before Jackson’s order or risk financial penalties.